WORLD GEOGRAPHY

World Geography

2007

World Geography

The Earth is one of the nine planets in the solar system known to harbor life (Earth , 2004 . More than 70 of the Earth 's surface is composed of water , and the rest is land which are continents that form above the oceans . A continent is one of the largest continuous units of landmass (Continents , 2004 . The continents of the world are composed of Asia , Africa , North America , South America , Antarctica Europe , and Australia

Asia is the largest continent of the world since it covers

about 30 of the world 's namely : East Asia , Southeast Asia , South Asia , Southwest Asia , and Russia /USSR . Africa is the second largest continent covering 23 of the worlds are in the mainland . The continent is divided by Sahara , the world 's largest desert . The third largest continent , North America is composed of countries such as Canada , United States , and Mexico . South America is the fourth largest continent occupying 12 of the Earth 's land surface It is composed of 12 nations , 10 of which are Latin , and two are former dependencies of United Kingdom and Netherlands . Antarctica is the fifth largest , and is the coldest , highest , and the most isolated continent in the world . Europe if the second smallest continent while Australia is the smallest continent

Scientific evidence believed that people of the world originated from apelike ancestors because of the physical and behavioral traits shared by all people evolved of at least 6 million years ago . Africa was considered the birthplace of human species between 8 million and 5 million years ago . The people of Africa speak a variety of languages since peoples from other countries have migrated and lived in Africa over the centuries . While in Asia , Chinese is the most commonly spoken language . In North America , English is the primary language , while Spanish and French are the secondary language . In South America , Spanish is the official language of majority of the countries . Europeans speak a variety of native languages , but they use English or French as their secondary language

People living together in a civilization share a same culture . Cultures are shared beliefs , customs , or practices of a particular nation or people . Throughout the world , every country , every nation has their own culture such as their pattern of subsistence , forms of exchange , work life , family , religion , art , leadership , and politics . In Africa , art music , and oral literature strengthen existing social and religious patterns . Many groups living in remote areas of Asia practice religions that are complex including animism or the belief that every object has spirit . In South America , almost majority of the population are Christians . In Australia , nation is politically subdivided into six states and two territories

Trade has also been a major force behind economic relations among countries . The existence of economic trade maximizes the potential market for goods or services of a particular country . The education system in Asia brings importance to elementary and primary school training and is often conducted by religious...